DJ JS-1 Interview

How interesting is it for you, as a DJ, to tour with a beat boxer?

It is awesome to me. He can do everything, Rahzel can duplicate whatever I play. He does rock stuff, dance beats, reggae beats, R&B stuff and hip hop. It is fun because I am not boxed to anything.

Do you do the same show every night or do you sometimes surprise Rahzel with a beat?

Sometimes I try to surprise him to keep him sharp. But we have a lot of stuff we can use, we start reading the crowd and play whatever fits them. Different people have different wishes and each crowd will get a show that fits them. In a certain country or area people are feeling and behaving a certain way and we try to adapt to that. Sometimes we do older stuff, sometimes newer ones.

Is it hard to read the crowd?

No, it just takes a few minutes on stage. It makes a difference when I start the show with saying; “Rest in peace Guru” and only three people react or the whole crowd goes wild. It goes the same way around with a Roc Raida tribute, if only five turntablist guys react we know what the crowd is like.

In 2002 you became part of the Rock Steady Crew, how did you end up with them?

Just by hanging around in New York. I went to different anniversaries in New York for years and I was meeting all these guys via the parties.

Were you honored to be on the Rock Steady Crew?

Of course, haha. That is great, it is the Rock Steady Crew!

There are lots of DJs in the Rock Steady Crew, is the competition high in the crew?

We, as Rock Steady DJs, all promote the same stuff. From Q-Bert, Mix Master Mike and Apollo to more recently Evil Dee and DJ Eclipse, everybody is down with the Rock Steady team. We all try to promote and push it. We just keep promoting the good hiphop, the breaks and the beat boys. The DJs are the guys bringing the music to everyone, if we were not doing our thing things would dry up.
 

You have got a lot of dancing shows on television, wouldn’t this be the right time to start a Rock Steady Crew break dance tour again?

That is definitely a good idea. People are always talking about such plans, but it is up to Crazy Legs what he wants to do. I definitely would agree that with all this stuff on TV there is a new awareness about this way of dancing. So many kids are doing it and there definitely is a way in to start such a tour. Hopefully they will do it.

I even think that we should do another Rock Steady Crew album, there are lots of good MCs who would love to work on another Rock Steady album and I am sure that if we team everybody up something good will come out.

But it’s depending on?

It is Crazy Legs his thing. If he wants to do another album I know for sure that everybody is cool with that. Tony Touch is always down with making new albums, there are lots of people who would love to work with Rock Steady DJs.

But there is no money in an album, everybody is going to download it for free anyway. The money is in touring, the album has became a promotional instrument for the tour only. I have put my own album for free online. Some people believe that I am crazy but there is no money in it.

You were born in New York, do you consider yourself as an East Coast representative?

Yeah, definitely . I was born in New York and lived my whole live in New York.

East coast hiphop is kind of death nowadays.

Not in my headphones, but yeah.

What happened?

I will make it quick, I can talk about that for years. We are now in a phase where everyone thinks that they should make music for woman to dance to. That is not true, it is just something in the people their brains. When it started in the 90s, R&B and hip hop always used to be two separate kinds of music. Artists like Pete Rock and CL Smooth just made music to diss R&B, R&B and Hip Hop had nothing to do together.

But chicks were dancing on it anyway. The chicks would go crazy if you played Public Enemy in the club in 1986. They danced to it, but now people feel that girls do not dance on Public Enemy anymore. While everybody likes break beats when I play them at a dance festival, so it is fucking bullshit.

That is why it is death, DJs only play music they believe the chicks would like to dance on. The only thing you hear in the clubs is; “Put your hands up” and that kind of crap. You can make a fucking dance mix of Billy Joel and Lady Gaga and everybody is going to like that one. There are, on the other hand, lots of people who are down with what I say, Premier will never play such a dance track.
 

 
You will release ‘No Sellout 2’ on June the 26th. What is the album going to sound like?

It basically is straight up hiphop stuff. It is just me working with artists that I like. I am not trying to sell out, it is not something like a dance thing. It is just music that I like to listen to. Especially the 90s hiphop fans will appreciate my album a lot. I have a lot of lyricisms, regular heart drums, break beats, samples, scratches and more stuff like that.

You have got a lot of guests on that one, which one was most special to you?

Ehm… KRS One is on that one. That is always special. But if I should say one which I have never worked before; it is The Ultramagnetic MCs. It is huge to have them on your disc. But having Pharoahe Monch on that one is also special, I am a huge Pharoahe Monch fan. Pharoahe Monch is a great artist to work with as well.

How would you describe a typical JS-1 beat?

Samples, loops, break beats, some 90s, East Coast hiphop, boombap. Those are all terms covering my music.

What do you prefer most, sample based producing or starting from nothing?

I like to work with samples. Most of my classic records were sample based. I like to combine a drum machine with a sample.

Where do you start when producing a track?

I basically start with a set of drums that I like. And then I add some samples, but sometime it goes the other way around. Then I start with a sample and create the drums for the track later on. It all depends, I just sit down and start listening to different records. I always get inspired from doing that. Sometimes I start by mixing it on the turntables with some drums. I basically just play around with the music and I will see where I end up.

What do you prefer; being on road or producing?

Ehm… shit. I love being on stage, but I also love to be in studio and mix some stuff. It is the mix of both that I prefer.

Do you have a final message?

Yes, you should all support good music! Support the hiphop that you do not know! Go on the internet and use it finding new hiphop artists. On the internet you are always one click away from some really good music that you have never heard before. Quit listening to the same stuff you always hear and that everybody else has heard thousands of times before. I still find new hiphop that I like every day. 
 

 



Volg ons ook op Twitter!
Check hier het interview met Rahzel!
Check hier het fotoverslag van Rahzel & DJ JS-1 in Helmond!

Check hier nog twee interviews uit van het HOHH Archive met Rock Steady Crew Members, Crazy Legs en Mr Freeze!
WILD STYLE SPECIAL 2: Crazy Legs
WILD STYLE SPECIAL 4: MR. FREEZE